There has been sport played on the site of Pretoria's Loftus Versfeld stadium since 1906, when it was known simply as the Eastern Sports Ground.

Lying five kilometres from the city centre, the first concrete structure was built by the city council in 1923, although its 2,000 capacity was a long way off the 50,000 all-seater stadium which stands there today. It is named after Robert Owen Loftus Versfeld, the founder of organised sports in Pretoria.

Indeed the facilities were sparse and it was thanks to a large profit following the All Blacks' 1928 tour that the Pretoria sub-union erected changing rooms and toilets.

The ground took Loftus Versfeld's name upon his death in 1932 and inevitably there have been several name changes through the years as sponsors have come and gone.

Loftus, as it is known by the locals, is one of the main stadiums in South Africa, home to Super Rugby franchise the Bulls and Currie Cup side Blue Bulls. The national side are also regulars and the ground hosted the second Test between the Springboks and the British and Irish Lions in 2009.

Loftus Versfeld was also one of the venues for the 2010 FIFA World Cup and it underwent some upgrades ahead of the tournament. The floodlights, PA system, scoreboard and roof were all improved.